The Wrestler. Yahoo.com has this description of the movie, “ . . . In an effort to build a new life, Robinson takes a job at a deli, moves in with an aging stripper and tries to build a relationship with her son.” I wonder if I saw the same movie, because I don’t remember Randy Robinson every meeting the stripper’s son. And they didn’t move in together. I wonder if there is another version of the movie out there somewhere.
I enjoyed this movie. It shows a life of a guy who was once a big time wrestler, but is now way past his prime. He wrestles at small time gigs, which pay in twenty dollar bills. He must work at a grocery store during the week to make ends meet. He makes so little money that he can’t even pay his monthly rent at a trailer park. He was married at one point in time, but that ended a long time ago. His only current relationship is with a stripper, who is also way past her prime. And then comes a heart attack right after a wrestling match (which I have to say this, I don’t watch wrestling so I don’t know how violent and bloody these wrestling matches are, but this was one bloody match with barbed wire and staple guns, not for the weak of heart). This puts a halt to the life he loves, because he is told he can no longer wrestle. It causes him to re-assess his life. He attempts to reach out to the stripper, trying to create a true relationship. She resists, but eventually agrees to meet him outside the club. He tries to reconnect with a daughter we learn about midway through the movie. Initially she resists, but then decides to give their relationship another chance. He also starts putting in longer hours at the grocery store. But things start to fall apart. The stripper does hang out with him for a day, but then withdraws. He has another falling out with his daughter. His duties at the grocery store begin to wear on him. And so he has a chance at a final rematch with a wrestler from his past glory, the Ayatollah, and he takes it.
For me, this movie was about emotional connections and inabilities to deal with what life throws at you (or what time takes away from you). The wrestler and the stripper had an emotional connection even if those moments were spent at a strip club. I felt that she wanted to start a relationship, as well, but also felt concern that what they had wasn’t real. Much of her life was built around creating sexual illusions with her customers so that when a real connection occurred she wasn’t able to recognize it. The wrestler and his daughter had a damaged relationship. There is only brief mention of the background story, but you do learn that the wrestler ran away from his responsibilities. His daughter hated him for it, but gave him a second chance, which he ruined by making some very poor choices – putting certain priorities above his daughter. These frustrations of having to deal with a transition in life caused him to make a potentially serious miscalculation by getting back into the ring with the Ayatollah.
Oscar question: Does Mickey Rourke deserve an Oscar nod for Best Actor? I’d have to say yes. In a previous review, I came down negatively on The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. So if Brad Pitt can get a nod for the picture, Mickey Rourke surely deserves one for The Wrestler. Does he deserve to win? Perhaps, but I haven’t seen all the movies that have Best Actor nods, so I can’t really form an opinion yet.
No comments:
Post a Comment